Praising God's Character

Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”
Genesis 21:6

No, you are not experiencing deja vu. Yes, my last post began with this same Scripture. As I was meditating on it, God revealed multiple vantage points. In this wonderful verse, Sarah is praising God after she has given birth at the age of ninety. However, I find it intriguing that instead of saying, "God has brought me a son," she says, "God has brought me laughter."  Sarah is praising God for who He is, not what He provided.

I often feel as if my prayers are selfish. I'll admit it; I don't pray for others as much as I should. I often pray for my own needs and wants first. Sometimes I completely forget to thank God and acknowledge who He is and how faithful He has always been. I talk with God about my own life in a much larger proportion than I talk with Him about the lives of those around me. There is a common problem here: I am the top priority of my prayers. However, the two greatest commandments  are to (1) Love God, and; (2) Love others as you love yourself.  That makes me number two.

I have learned that poor motives usually yields a poor result.  When I was in high school, I joined the recycling club for the mere perk of having a permanent hall pass to roam the school during study hall. I could not have cared less about the recycling responsibilities; I just wanted the excuse to have free reign of the school for three hours a week. Because I joined the club for the wrong reason, I did a poor job fulfilling my responsibilities of emptying the recycling bins in the classrooms.  They were often overflowing, causing recyclables to be thrown into the trash cans.

Scripture teaches that God examines your motives.  James 4:3 says, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." Am I praying for the purpose of getting something from God, or am I spending time with God because I love Him? Am I expecting something from God in return for each good deed, or am I serving Him for who He is and what He has already done for me? If God does not give me what I ask for, will I turn my back and forget about Him? On the other hand, if God does gives me what I ask for, will I turn my back and forget about Him?

Don't get me wrong- you should ask God for help. You should thank God and recognize Him for His specific provisions. You should take note of blessings you receive and attribute them to God. However, if someone asks you why you love your best friend, you will likely say something along the lines of "she is selfless" or "he always knows how to make me laugh." It would be absurd to answer, "I love my best friend because (s)he spends a lot of money on me." You love people for who they are, not what they do for you.

Why not apply the same principle to your relationship with God? Tell Him how much you love Him. Learn about His character. Praise Him for who He is before you present your requests to Him. Pray simply because you want to spend time with Him, not always because you need something from Him. It's time to start examining our motives. We cannot hide anything from God, so why try?  If we are honest with ourselves, we will realize that He has already provided much more than we could ever give in return. He has saved us, even when we did not deserve it! How can we possibly neglect to put Him first?